


If You're Not Here With Me

by JainaDurron7



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Family, Found Family, Holidays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28091586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JainaDurron7/pseuds/JainaDurron7
Summary: Annabeth is sure of her and Percy's relationship. But when she goes with Percy to Manhattan to spend the holidays with his family, she begins to realize just how sure she is.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 4
Kudos: 70





	If You're Not Here With Me

_“Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree, won’t be the same dear, if you’re not here with me.”_

~ “Blue Christmas”, Elvis Presley

* * *

“Yeah, Mom. We’re just about to leave. We’ve got all our bags packed and loaded. We’re leaving by noon, then we’re on our way. Yeah, you too, Mom. Okay. Love you, Mom. We’ll see you soon.”

Annabeth threw her last bag over her shoulder, going over their packing list one last time while she waited for Percy. The rest of their bags were already loaded into the trunk of Percy’s new car, ready to make the trip across the country to New York. She and Percy had had their last finals of the semester the day before, and they were spending the holiday break in Manhattan with Percy’s family. It had been so long since Annabeth had really enjoyed Christmas, and she was excited to be spending the holiday with some of the most important people to her.

Percy returned from the bathroom to his dorm where Annabeth waited for him. “Alright. We got everything? My mom’s getting antsy.”

She laughed. “We still have a five-hour flight until we get to New York. And that’s only if our flight leaves on time.”

Percy shrugged, going to his closet. “It’s still better than driving.”

“Yeah, we definitely owe Zeus for this.”

“No! First of all, I should not _owe him_ for letting me fly an airplane _once_. I have done nothing to him.”

“Babe, you know that’s not how the gods work. Just remember the positives. No driving and fighting monsters this way.”

He just groaned, pulling on his jacket as he emerged from his closet. “I’ll be thankful when we’re home.”

Something about the way he said it pleasantly thrilled Annabeth, and she bit at the inside of her cheek, though she was sure her cheeks still betrayed her. “We? Are home?”

Her boyfriend shrugged. “Yeah. So?”

_Seaweed brain._

She shook her head, smiling pleasantly. “Nothing. Come on. I got my last bag, so let’s get out of here.”

“No, you made a significant look. Tell me, what are you thinking?”

She snorted. “A significant look?”

“Yeah! Like, your face— you made a weird look when I said I’ll be thankful when we’re home.”

“Nothing. It’s just weird to hear you say that like your home is my home too.”

“Oh. Well, isn’t it? I mean, like, my family is your family, right? And you’ve spent a lot of time there. I just thought—”

“Oh, right. Of course.”

Neither of them says anything for a moment, and the silence between them is a little awkward as Percy grabs Riptide and Annabeth doublechecks her hip for where she has her drakon bone sword sheathed and covered by the sweatshirt tied around her waist. They grab their last things and walk out of the dorm room, Percy locking the door behind him.

“I was just thinking, Annabeth, ‘cause, you know, one day we could have our own home to spend Christmas at.”

If her cheeks hadn’t betrayed her before, she could _feel_ the flames burning them now. She didn’t miss the trepidation, the nervousness in Percy’s voice. They’d spent the previous year making plenty of offhand comments about sharing their futures together, living together, having a home together, having a family together. But ever since they had started college and found some extent of peace and normalcy for their lives … those offhand comments had begun to sunk in, taken on a hint of reality they hadn’t been entirely prepared for.

For Annabeth, it seemed like these concepts for their futures they’d been sharing had only been dreams then, encouragements to make it another day, to survive. Maybe, if they made it to the other end of the dark tunnel, they might get to make something of those dreams. But now they were on the other end, and it was almost overwhelming to be in reach of some of those dreams. To actually have a future, to have the opportunities to secure that future.

No, it was overwhelming, Annabeth realized, because that future was now. What were they supposed to do with it?

As much as it still wracked her nerves to be thinking about all those possibilities now, Annabeth knew she still wanted them. Maybe, more than ever. And she didn’t want Percy to doubt that for a second. She reached to grab Percy’s hand as they ambled outside, pulling him closer. She told him just to assure him, “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

She turned her head just quick enough to catch the blush fading from his cheeks.

“But, maybe, we can still spend Christmas with my family or yours.”

Annabeth nodded. “I’m excited to spend Christmas with your family.”

He grinned. “You’ll love it! Mom’s been looking forward to having you stay with us all year. She’s been asking me if you’d be spending Christmas with your family or with me since we got our acceptance letters from New Rome.”

“Well, you said it. Your family is mine too, right?”

If it was even possible, Percy’s smile became even brighter. They stopped beside his car in the middle of the parking lot, and she yelped as Percy swung her around and pressed her up against the car for a kiss. California was warm all year, and Percy’s lips melting into hers simply steamed her.

“This is our first Christmas together.”

Annabeth nodded. “Right. Not overwhelming at all.”

Percy frowned. “Why would it be overwhelming?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know, I— I haven’t had a real Christmas like this since I was six. One of the latest memories I have of Christmas in Virginia is of my stepmom whom I hated telling me she was pregnant and that being my main ‘gift’ that year. And now I’m stepping in on your family’s Christmas—”

“What do you meaning ‘stepping in on’? Annabeth, both of my parents want you there— they _expect_ you to be there.”

“Okay, but it’s still a change in your family’s traditions and—”

“Annabeth!” Percy finally snapped. Alarm shot down her spine, and she came to abrupt attention. Percy was looking at her like she’d said something incredibly stupid which Annabeth wasn’t sure she ever had around Percy. But his pupils were wide and a faint smile tugged at Percy’s lips, though Annabeth couldn’t tell if he was amused or not. “This is our first Christmas together, and that is a pretty big deal. But also … it’s not? Because it’s just the first of many, and I have every intention of spending a lot more Christmases with you. Like … for the rest of our lives.”

Annabeth blinked. She wasn’t sure why she was so surprised; they still danced nervously around the subject of marriage and their futures together, but if they weren’t focusing on the topic with a laser, they talked often about sharing a lifetime of memories together and having a family and the whole package.

Maybe it was Percy’s family that made the difference for Annabeth. To spend the holiday with his family, for them to want her there, anticipate her being there. For them to see her as a permanent part of their family the same way Percy saw her a permanent part of his life. Growing up in Camp Half-Blood after having run away from home, she’d spent her childhood praying, searching, hoping for something permanent, a permanent family to take the place of the broken one she’d left behind.

She’d found it.

It didn’t seem real, she thought, as this moment did it for her and the realization settled on her shoulders.

It was Percy, her other half, the perfect match to her soul with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life. It was Sally who had taken on the role of a mother figure ever since Percy had first introduced the two, who had become ever more a mother to Annabeth with every passing day. It was Paul who had been newer to the family than she and yet slipped into his role easily and just as quickly become a sight of comfort for Annabeth. It was Estelle who was a sister to Annabeth, who Annabeth had been just as excited for when Sally told her she was pregnant, the little newborn Annabeth had been there at the hospital to meet and hold as soon as she could steal her from her big brother’s arms.

She’d found it, her something permanent.

How it had taken her this long to realize she’d reached it, Annabeth had no idea and now she felt so foolish. But this was it, she understood now, and she couldn’t wait to get _home_ and see her _family_ and spend the holiday with them.

“Annabeth? Is that okay?”

Warmth flooded her face, but Annabeth was just glad she could contain the tears she felt. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s okay. Although, a ring would be nice too.”

Percy’s look turned rueful, and she laughed. “Alright, Miss Chase. I guess we’ll just have to see what we can do about that.”

In the cab headed for the airport, she didn’t think she’d ever been so excited for something before, and it thrilled her to think she could do this with Percy every year ...


End file.
